Quick Hits: Five thoughts on this week's news

Friday

Aug 1, 2014 at 9:46 AMAug 1, 2014 at 9:46 AM

Sentinel editorial board

1. Prop 1 will help businessesWith the election just four days away, we’d like to reiterate our earlier editorial endorsement of Proposal 1. We’re doing so because the summary you’ll see on Tuesday’s ballot is pretty obtuse and doesn’t give you much idea of what the proposal is really about. In short, Proposal 1 eliminates manufacturing companies, large and small, and other small businesses from the onerous personal property tax assessed annually on business equipment. At the same time, it guarantees that the state will provide cities, townships and school districts an amount equal to the money they now collect from the personal property tax. It’s a move that improves Michigan’s business competitiveness without hurting local governments or raising taxes for anyone else in the state. It’s supported by Republicans and Democrats, business and local governments. It deserves your “yes” vote.2. Vote in Tuesday’s electionNo matter where you live — no matter what congressional or state House or Senate district or what county precinct — it is important to make your voice heard Tuesday. They are called “elected representatives” because before they can do their job, we have to do ours: elect the best possible person to represent us. And there’s no excuse for flipping a coin to see who’s next going to Lansing or Washington. Sometimes it may seem there is no perfect choice. People aren’t perfect, and politicians, despite reports to the contrary, are people. To better get to know the people who want to represent us, visit HollandSentinel.com and search for a specific race. Unsure what is your district? The Secretary of State can tell you. Visit webapps.sos.state.mi.us/mivote. Want more? Visit the League of Women Voters’ Vote411.org to see your candidates and read their responses to League questions.3. Pearl Mist a sign of things to comeWe were thrilled to see the sight of the Pearl Mist cruise ship docking at Verplank Dock on Tuesday morning. The 355-foot-long luxury ship — the largest passenger vessel to ever pass through our channel — carried 217 passengers, most of whom were discovering Holland for the first time. Local tourism officials say this event hopefully will be the bellwether of good things to come, paving the way for more cruise ships to visit our port. We hope that comes to pass.4. Weird weather strikes againAfter a winter for the ages, it’s not surprising we are seeing a cool summer. But what’s more frustrating is the seesaw in temperatures as highs oscillate between high 70s and low 60s. For example, the historic average high for the month of July — our warmest month — is 83 degrees. But this year, we saw an average high just over 77 degrees. The cold snap over the last week certainly won’t get that number to inch up any higher. The volatility is sure to disrupt many a would-be vacationer’s plans as campgrounds, beaches and hotels prepare for their busiest time of year into the month of August.5. BPW demo nearly finishedThe former Atmospheric Processing Inc. building in the Fifth Street and Fairbanks Avenue neighborhood was finally demolished this past week to pave the way for a new Holland Board of Public Works natural gas power plant. Prior to the site being the home of the API, it was the site of Home Furnace Co. More than 50 parcels of land were purchased over the past year so the city could get the footprint it needs for this new, $200 million development, and construction could start as early as this fall if all continues to go as scheduled. We are eager to see shovels fly.